Golf club heads



April 9, 9 \l E. B. CISSEL 3,084,940

GOLF CLUB HEADS Filed July 6, 1960 FIG. .1.

INVENTOR.

E/Q/C 5. C/SSEL United rates The present invention is directed to wooden golf club heads and is more particularly concerned with improve ments in such club heads for providing an added impetus to the flight of golf balls driven thereby.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide golf club heads composed chiefly of solid or laminated wood and including a shock plate for stopping and reversing the shock waves set up in such a club head upon striking a golf ball in order that such shock waves can be added to the forces acting on the ball when struck by such a club head increasing the range of flight of the ball over that normally given thereto by 'a conventional wood club head.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a .golf club head for the driver, brassie or spoon type of club having a synthetic resin insert arranged therein for varying the flight of a ball struck thereby from the normal pattern for such clubs to improve the flight of the ball under certain conditions such as adverse weather and wind.

Further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but of a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a third form of the invention.

And FIG. 5 is an exploded view, reduced size, of the golf club head of FIG. 1.

' Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like and corresponding elements are designated by similar reference characters, numeral 1 indicates the head of a wood golf club such as, for example, the head of a driver, brassie or spoon. Such a head is formed from a solid piece of wood or laminated plys 2 of wood and has a relatively fiat bottom 3 from which a straight side 4 extends on an acute angle to the top 5 which is generally a curved surface and is contiguous with a rear side 6 extending inwardly to bottom 3. Said rear side 6 curves into a rounded end 7 contiguous with side 4. A neck 8 is formed with said head and extends on an angle from top 5 and is connected to a drive shaft 11 which includes the handle for driving said head when playing golf.

Side 4 of said head, as aforementioned, slants on an acute angle to bottom 3 in one direction and extends longitudinally with neck 8 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of neck 8 for providing the golf ball driving face of the club. The angle of said face '4 of the club with the shaft connected to neck 8 is known as the degree of loft and varies for the different types of wooden golf clubs. That is, when the present head 1 is used as a driver, it would have a low-face angle for use in driving golf balls off the tee. Where head 1 is used as a part of a brassie, it would have a medium-faced angle for producing long low shots of the golf ball along the fairway green. However, when head 1 is used as a part of a spoon, it would have the greatest faced angle in order to give the golf ball more height in trajectory for producing long shots thereof on the fair green.

Head 1 is shown having a dove tail slot 9 in which is inserted a mating plate 10 of a relatively hard material 3,084,940 Patented Apr. 9, '1963 EQQ such as ivory or a hard rubber. The present head can include such a conventional feature or not as desired.

The present head 1 has a slot provided by parallel side walls 12 and 13 which extend longitudinally parallel to side 4 but are spaced therefrom and extend through a medial or interior portion of the club head from top 5 to bottom 3 and are joined by end walls 14 and 15. As shown in FIG. 2, said side walls 12 and 13 extend laterally on an angle to face 4 or substantially perpendicular to bottom 3. The angle of said walls relative to face 4 can vary for different purposes. A plate 16 composed of a synthetic resin such as preferably nylon, a polyamide or Lucite, an acrylic resin or other synthetic resin material having a considerably smaller degree of compressibility than the wood of head 1 is inserted and completely fills the space between walls 12, 13, 14, and 15 with its top edge 18 flush with head top 5 and its bottom edge 17 flush with head bottom 3. Said plate 16 has straight end 19 for abutting end 15 and a straight end 20 for abutting end 14 of said head. The length of walls 12 and 13 can vary but should extend a substantial portion of the length of side 4 or the entire length thereof.

Plate 16 is bonded to the wood of head 1 by any suitable commercial bonding material such as resin adhesives, for example, epoxy resin adhesives, phenolic resins, or

' polyvinyl acetates or a suitable glue such as casein glue interposed between the plate and the wood of the head. The lateral angle of plate 16 as aforementioned can be varied. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 walls 12 and 13 can also extend parallel to side 4- in a lateral direction direct with a plate '22 having a side 25 to abut wall 13, a side 26 to abut wall 12 and a top 23 flush with top 5 and the bottom edge 24 flush with bottom 3 of said head.

As shown in FIG. 4, the slot in said head may have a chevron or open V configuration in a longitudinal direction with a synthetic resin plate 27 filling an open V- shaped slot provided by walls 28 and 29 having an apex 30, side walls 31 and 32 meeting at the line 33 and end walls 34 and 35. The anglesof said walls can vary in so far as plate 27 extends across the major portion of the impact area of head 1 behind side 4.

The plates 16, 22, and 27 are spaced at varying distances behind side 4, but, for example, sides 21, 26 and apex 30 can be an inch to an inch and A from side 4 or the other distances depending upon the use to which the club head is to be applied. When the golf club employing the present head is used in playing the game of golf, the head is swung by a player with side 4 striking a golf ball for driving the same down the fairway. The result of the impact of the ball and the head causes the ball to be momentarily compressed or flattened, but it immediately retains its original configuration and the rapid cornpressibility and expansion of the ball gives added impetus to the ball in addition to striking force of the head so that the ball can be driven longer distances. Head 1 being formed of wood, accordingly, is composed of numerous cells in the wood surrounding air and each force of the ball against the side 4 also compresses the wood cells to a relatively small degree at the moment of impact, and this compression together with the shock waves from the impact are dispersed through the club head. As this dispersion of the compression of the cells and shock waves moves inwardly from side 4, they are blocked by the plates 16, 22, or 27 and the shock waves are reversed causing a more rapid expansion of the wood cells and the return of the shock waves to side 4 before the ball leaves the same giving a still further impetus to the driving of the ball. The material of said plates being of a synthetic resin of the type described has considerably less compression characteristics than wood. For example, Lucite has a tensile strength of 5800 pounds per square inch while nylon has a tensile strength of 9000 pounds per square inch. (1 he compression elastic limit for the following wood is as follows:

Pounds per square inch Beech -d 2700 Hickory 3570 White ash 3510 Accordingly, the high tensile strength of the synthetic resin gives the same a smaller degree of compressibility than the surrounding Wood and limits the compression of said wood to the area between the plate and the side 4.

The configuration and angle of position of said plates has been found to vary the resulting angle at which the golf ball is driven. For example, a head as shown in FIG. 2 provides a low arching ball when driven into the wind. The head of FIG. 3 will give a high trajectory while the head of FIG. 4 tends to provide the ball with a straight flight.

The present invention is, accordingly, capable of considerable modification but such changes thereto as come within the scope of the appended claims is deemed to he a part thereof.

I claim:

1. An improvement in golf club heads comprising a Wood golf club head having a fixed golf ball driving face and a top and bottom extending from said face, said head further having a slot in an interior portion thereof spaced by a portion of said Wood head from said driving face and extending from said top .to said bottom in one direction and along said head for at least the major portion of said driving face in a second direction and a plate being fixedly positioned within and filling said slot, said plate being composed of a synthetic resin for stopping shock waves contacting the same and moving in said portion of said wood head from said driving face upon impact thereof with a ball during the use of the head and returning said shock waves to said driving face for giving added impetus to the ball.

2. An improvement in golf club heads comprising a wood body having top and bottom faces extending from a straight side slanting inwardly relative to said bottom forming a golf ball driving face, said body having a straight slot in an interior portion thereof spaced by a portion of said wood body from said ball driving face, extending parallel to said driving face in one direction thereof and along at least the major portion of said driving face and a straight plate fixedly positioned in and filling said slot, said plate being composed of a synthetic resin for stopping shock waves contacting said plate and moving in said portion of said wood body from said driving face upon impact thereof with a ball during the use of the head and returning said shock waves to said driving face for giving added inpetus to the ball.

3. An improvement in golf club heads comprising a Wood body having a straight side forming a golf ball driving face and a top and a bottom extending from said side, said body further having a straight slot in an interior portion thereof which slot extends parallel to but is spaced by a portion of said wood body from said straight side both longitudinally and laterally of said side and a straight synthetic resin plate fixedly positioned in and filling said slot and also extending in said slot parallel to and along at least the major portion of said side both longitudinally and laterally thereof for returning shock waves in said wood body portion to said side, received when said side strikes a golf ball in the use of the club giving added impetus to said ball.

4. An improvement in golf club heads comprising a wood body having a straight side forming a golf ball driving face and a top and a bottom extending from said side, a metal plate fixedly mounted on said straight side, said body having a slot opening in said top and said bottom and extending in an interior portion of said body spaced by a portion of said wood body from but extending along at least the major portion of said straight side and a plate of a synthetic resin material fixedly positioned withinand filling said slot for returning shock waves through said wood body portion to said side received when said side strikes a golf ball in use of the club giving added impetus to said ball.

5. An improvement in golf club heads comprising a wood golf club head having a fixed golf ball driving face and a plate of synthetic resin material providing a medial integral portion of said head spaced by a portion of said head (from said driving face, said plate being positioned laterally of the direction of compressibility of said wood when said head driving face strikes an object such as a golf ball, and said plate being composed of a synthetic resin material having the physical characteristics limiting the compression of said head and reversing shock waves traveling therein when said head is striking said ball for giving added impetus to the drive of said ball thereby.

6. An improvement in golf club heads comprising a body of wood having the configuration of a wood golf club head including a top and a bottom with a golf ball driving side extending inwardly from said bottom to said top, said body having a slot with a side of a bent configunation spaced by a portion of said body from said body driving side, but extending lengthwise of at least a major portion thereof and a plate of a synthetic resin material fixedly positioned within and mating with said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 722,011 Govan Mar. 3, 1903 819,900 Martin May 8, 1906 2,004,968 Young June 18, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,750 Great Britain 1905 

1. AN IMPROVEMENT IN GOLF CLUB HEADS COMPRISING A WOOD GOLF CLUB HEAD HAVING A FIXED GOLF BALL DRIVING FACE AND A TOP AND BOTTOM EXTENDING FROM SAID FACE, SAID HEAD FURTHER HAVING A SLOT IN AN INTERIOR PORTION THEREOF SPACED BY A PORTION OF SAID WOOD HEAD FROM SAID DRIVING FACE AND EXTENDING FROM SAID TOP TO SAID BOTTOM IN ONE DIRECTION AND ALONG SAID HEAD FOR AT LEAST THE MAJOR PORTION OF SAID DRIVING FACE IN A SECOND DIRECTION AND A PLATE BEING FIXEDLY POSITIONED WITHIN AND FILLING SAID SLOT, SAID PLATE BEING COMPOSED OF A SYNTHETIC RESIN FOR STOPPING SHOCK WAVES CONTACTING THE SAME AND MOVING IN SAID PORTION OF SAID WOOD HEAD FROM SAID DRIVING FACE UPON IMPACT THEREOF WITH A BALL DURING THE USE OF THE HEAD AND RETURNING SAID SHOCK WAVES TO SAID DRIVING FACE FOR GIVING ADDED IMPETUS TO THE BALL. 